Sporting News examines the biggest games this weekend in college basketball (all times ET):

No. 6 Louisville at Memphis, Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net)

This is one of only two true road games for Louisville during the non-conference portion of its schedule, and it’s by far the toughest.

With apologies to the College of Charleston—the Cardinals won that one by 42—this game in Memphis always promised to be Louisville’s toughest road test before the beginning of the Big East schedule. Gorgui Dieng has had the cast removed from his broken left wrist, but coach Rick Pitino said he won’t have his shot blocker in the lineup for this game.

That’s good news for the Tigers, of course, but Dieng is only one of several problems the Cardinals present. Even with Dieng sidelined the past four games, Louisville leads the nation in defensive efficiency (79.1 percent), according to kenpom.com. The primary reason is the Cardinals—behind their dynamic, tenacious guard duo of Russ Smith and Peyton Siva—lead the country in steal percentage (.179) and turnover percentage (.319).

That means the Cardinals force a turnover on 31.9 percent opponents’ possession, an insanely high number. As a point of reference, here are the leaders in that category the past five years:

2011-12: VCU (27.3)

2010-11: Duquesne (27.9)

2009-10: Delaware State (28.3)

2008-09: Nebraska (26.9)

2007-08: Texas-San Antonio (26.8)

So, you get the point. And, logic says recording steals on 17.1 percent of possessions is pretty lofty, too. Logic is right. No team in the past five years has been above 16.0.

Memphis has had trouble limiting turnovers, so their problems likely will be compounded Saturday. Their turnover rate of 20.8 percent is 176th in the country. Coach Josh Pastner has even moved Joe Jackson off the ball in favor of Chris Crawford, who will have his biggest challenge of the season Saturday.

Memphis needs another big game from Geron Johnson. He missed the first three games of the season and then was a non-factor in his first two appearances. In the past three games, though, the 6-3 junior has averaged 16 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.8 percent from the floor.

If the Tigers can handle the Louisville pressure, they have enough talent to take the game to the wire. If they can’t, it will be a long day.

No. 1 Indiana vs. Butler, Saturday, 2 p.m. (CBS)

Butler’s Rotnei Clarke has hit at least four 3-pointers in seven of his first nine games this season, but he could struggle to find open looks against the Hoosiers. Last year, Indiana allowed opponents to shoot 34.9 percent beyond the arc, which was 197th in the country. This year, though, partially because of the addition of point guard Yogi Ferrell, the Hoosiers are limiting opponents to 26.4 percent shooting from 3-point range, which is 22nd in the country.

Butler needs big games on the offensive boards from Andrew Smith and Khyle Marshall—both are solid in that area—to extend possessions and find easy put-backs inside to produce enough offense to stay with the Hoosiers in the opener of the Crossroads Classic doubleheader in Indianapolis.

As for Indiana, picture the scene in classic movie “The Jerk,” where Steve Martin’s character jumps up and down, screaming, “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” That’s just about the feeling of excitement around the Indiana program now that freshmen Peter Jurkin, a three-star 7-foot recruit, and Hanner Mosquera-Perea, a four-star 6-8 forward, are finally eligible. They had to sit the first nine games because of a controversial NCAA ruling—rehashing that seems a waste of time at the moment, but it was illogical and especially unpopular in Bloomington—and will suit up for the Butler game. Coach Tom Crean says he’ll ease the two into the rotation, but at least, finally, things will start happening for them.

No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Arizona, Saturday, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Want a primary reason for Florida’s dominating start to the season? Look inside the 3-point arc. Four of the five Florida starters are shooting better than 55 percent on their 2-point shot attempts this season: Erik Murphy (69.0), Will Yeguete (64.0), Mike Rosario (55.6) and Patric Young (55.1). As a team, they’re shooting 55.7 percent from 2-point range, which is 15th in the country.

Defensively, though, is where the Gators really make their mark. They are holding opponents to just 34.9 percent from the field—remember, that’s layups and jumpers and the like—which is second in the country.

Rest assured that Kansas coach Bill Self won’t let his team take Belmont lightly. Last year, in a mid-December game in Kansas City, the Jayhawks were upended by Davidson, a team with a similar profile to this Belmont squad—a brilliant, established coach, outstanding veteran ballhandlers who can knock down 3-pointers and frontcourt players who understand the value of proper positioning in the post.

The Jayhawks must pay special attention to Belmont senior guard Ian Clark, who’s shooting a stellar 55.9 percent (38-for-68) beyond the 3-point arc this season. That said, if Kansas turns in an effort similar to its game against Colorado—a 36-point win against a good team—none of that will really matter.

No. 14 Gonzaga vs. Kansas State, Saturday, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

For the Bulldogs, their annual game in Seattle is an opportunity to hit the reset button after their surprising home loss to Illinois last Saturday. That begins with a renewed defensive commitment—Gonzaga shot 60 percent in the first half against the Illini but the game was tied at half. Illinois wound up shooting 50 percent overall and made 11 3-pointers on 42.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc. That must change.

For Kansas State, this is a rare opportunity to grab a signature win. It’s an odd non-conference schedule for the Wildcats—they play just three potential at-large NCAA teams, but they’re all heavyweights: No. 3 Michigan (lost by 14), Gonzaga and then No. 5 Florida on Dec. 22. Lose all three and their “best” non-on win would be at George Washington (by three), which certainly wouldn’t wow the NCAA Selection Committee.

TIP-INS

No. 11 Cincinnati vs. Marshall, Saturday, 2 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). This game will be played in Charleston W.Va., but it’ll no doubt be a road game for the Bearcats against a team that has nothing to lose. Marshall has been a bit of a disappointment, and a win against Cincinnati would help salvage a frustrating non-conference portion of the schedule.

No. 16 Creighton at Cal, Saturday, 11 p.m. (Pac-12 Network). Like all Pac-12 teams hoping for an NCAA at-large invite, Cal needs every quality non-conference victory it can get. Beating the Bluejays never is easy, though, and when star Doug McDermott is shooting like this—he’s 13-for-19 from 3-point range (68.4 percent) in Creighton’s last three wins—it’s nearly impossible.

Eastern Michigan at Illinois-Chicago, Saturday, 2 p.m. (Comcast Chicago). Illinois-Chicago quietly has compiled victories against Northwestern and Colorado State—two quality teams—and the Flames could be 12-1 heading into the start of Horizon League play. Their only loss was by six points to No. 17 New Mexico in the Virgin Islands.

Alabama at VCU, Saturday, 4 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). Teams wanting NCAA bids in March must win games like these in December, against quality opponents fighting for those same precious at-large berths.

West Virginia at No. 3 Michigan, Saturday, 8 p.m. (ESPN). There’s zero chance West Virginia wins this game, but the Mountaineers would like to avoid a blowout loss (like their 34-point loss to Gonzaga) with just a few home games left before the start of the Big 12 schedule.